title: Comparison of brain activation in response to two dimensional and three dimensional on-line games.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study assessed the difference in the brain activity of professional gamers (excessive players, but not addicts) in response to playing a 3-dimensional online game with an improved interface.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three StarCraft I pro gamers and 16 StarCraft II pro gamers were recruited at Chung Ang University Medical Center. Brain activity in response to StarCraft I or II cues was assessed with a 1.5 Tesla Espree MRI scanner.
  
  
  RESULTS
  StarCraft I pro gamers showed significantly greater activity in 4 clusters in response to the video game cues compared to StarCraft II pro gamers: right superior frontal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus, right occipital lobe, and left medial frontal gyrus. StarCraft II pro gamers showed significantly greater activity in 3 clusters in response to the video game cues compared to StarCraft I pro gamers: left middle frontal gyrus, left temporal fusiform gyrus and left cerebellum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to show the difference in brain activity between gamers playing either a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional online game. Current brain imaging studies may confirm the pro gamers' experience when playing StarCraft II, a 3-dimensional game with an improved interface, relative to playing StarCraft I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo Hyun
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Doug Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Hyung Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Shim
keywords: Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Pro-gamer; StarCraft; Three dimensional; Two dimensional